19 organisations have joined together in demanding Government action to prevent even greater concentration of supermarket power, and in particular that all bids for the take-over of Safeway are investigated by the Competition Commission.
An Early Day Motion has been drafted which sets out the concerns of the group.
Producers, wholesalers, caterers and retailers will be working with the government on a joint strategy to improve our food and drink industry's economic, environmental and social performance.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Margaret Beckett has announced the creation of a new body to develop a Food Industry Sustainability Strategy with challenging 'key performance indicators' for food manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and caterers.
The new strategy will tackle issues such as pollution, litter, waste, food miles, transport and energy use.
Sainsbury's, Britain's second-biggest supermarket chain, has promised that within seven years all the wild fish it sold would be obtained from "sustainable" fisheries.
The commitment is significant in view of mounting alarm at the state of fish stocks, both in EU waters and worldwide.
But there was confusion over precisely what the company, which claims to be the leading British retailer of fish and fish-based products, meant by "sustainable". And there was doubt over the capability of fully accredited "sustainable" fisheries to meet Sainsbury's demands.
The move was welcomed by environmentalists, however, not least because it puts pressure on other big retailers to follow suit.
Wales, 9 Mar 2003: National Assembly Shadow Minister, Janet Ryder AM said "Customers have expressed their concerns to me that there has been an active promotion of English produce (not British). The implication is that customers should not buy local produce."
Last weekend Mrs Ryder was approached by shoppers in Mold who had been upset by Somerfield's decision to promote New Zealand Lamb on St Davids day. This week customers of another supermarket - Sainsbury's - have made similar complaints following a promotion in the supermarket's Rhyl store last weekend urging customers to buy English produce.
"It is disheartening, to say the least, for local farmers to find a major supermarket actively promoting produce from elsewhere" Ryder said.
Mrs Ryder says she has been in touch with Sainsbury's several times during the past week and is now actively trying to set up a meeting between herself, Sainsbury's and local farmers to see what can be done to encourage a new understanding between the supermarket and potential suppliers amongst the farmers of north Wales.
